Cal's 2013 football schedule leads off with Northwestern

BERKELEY -- Cal's new football coach will make his debut Aug. 31 at Memorial Stadium against Northwestern and will be on the home sidelines for at least the Bears' first three games next season.

Cal announced the nonconference portion of its 2013 schedule on Thursday, and the Bears will play Portland State on Sept. 7, then Ohio State on Sept. 14, both at home. The Northwestern and Ohio State games were announced previously.

The Bears are in the midst of a coaching search after firing Jeff Tedford on Nov. 20 after 11 seasons.

Pac-12 home games next season will feature Arizona, Oregon State, USC and Washington State, giving Cal a total of seven games in Berkeley. The Bears will face Colorado, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and Washington on the road.

Dates for the Pac-12 schedule will be announced in January.

Cal misses Arizona State and Utah next season.

The school also announced a home-and-home series with San Diego State in 2015 and '16, with the Aztecs visiting Berkeley on Sept. 12, 2015, and Cal traveling to San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium on Sept. 10, 2016.

Cal previously announced a home-and-home series with Texas in 2015 and '16.